Lalu Prasad says Nitish Kumar conspired to split RJD

Patna, Feb 25: Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Tuesday said that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had conspired to split his party to save his government, which is in a minority.

After 16 of the 22 RJD legislators attended a meeting of its legislature party here Tuesday afternoon at the official residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi, Lalu Prasad announced that he would expose the conspiracy to split his party by Nitish Kumar.

According to RJD leaders close to Lalu Prasad, four rebel legislators did not attend the legislature party meeting and two failed to turn up as they were in their constituencies.

Lalu Prasad alongwith legislators took to the streets after the legislature party meeting to protest the alleged role of Bihar assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary in the bid to split the RJD. He will also stage a sit-in at Raj Bhavan.

A day after reports of a split in the RJD in Bihar, Lalu Prasad, who arrived here from Delhi, accused Nitish Kumar of offering lucrative posts to his party legislators to create fissures. “Nitish Kumar is eyeing RJD legislators and offering them lucrative posts to split the party,” Lalu Prasad told media persons.

He also accused the speaker of being involved in the conspiracy to split the RJD. However, the RJD chief claimed that nine of his 13 legislators had returned to the party fold and denied any split.

In events that unfolded Monday, the RJD looked headed for a split after 13 legislators said they were no longer with the party. The RJD rebels said they intended to join the ruling Janata Dal-United.

But later, party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui denied any rift and six of the “rebels” said they were still with the Lalu Prasad-led party.

Late Monday night three more RJD legislators said they were with the party.

Earlier, Choudhary accepted the purported letter with signatures of 13 RJD legislators and identified them as a separate group in the house. The RJD has 22 members in the 243-member house, while the JD-U has 118 legislators. IANS